


First solstice

by Bitterblue



Category: His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-21
Updated: 2014-06-21
Packaged: 2018-02-05 14:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1821745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitterblue/pseuds/Bitterblue





	First solstice

"What if he sits on top of me?"

The garden was just as it ought to be, the bench empty and framed by a shaft of sunlight pouring from between the clouds. Lyra fancied she could see the faintest swirl of Dust in it, though she knew Pan would tell her it was just pollen and that she was being  _silly_ , as if silly were the worst thing they could be. He snorted, now, gamboling ahead to jump onto the bench.

"He probably  _will_. You won't even know it, anyway, so where's the harm?"

"I don't like the thought of it, is all. Sitting on each other in different universes."

"What, you want to be sitting on each other in the same universe?"

She laughed, settling herself on the bench, touching the wood where he had carved their initials. "No. Don't be stupid. It's just, I mean, a year. It's been a year. And I feel like not much has changed but I bet a lot has, if we could see each other." She checked the pocket watch she'd bought with her birthday money, and then set it back in her pocket. "What if he doesn't come?"

"He'll be there. Here. It's going to be fine, Lyra."

Her fingers found the watch again, fidgeting. The clouds parted a little further, leaving her bathed in sunlight.

"Hello, Will. It's noon, on the solstice. Just like we promised."

 

"Where do you think you're going?"

Will groaned a little, raking a hand through his hair, and turned to smile at his mother. "Sorry, just meeting a friend. I'll be back soon, before tea. I promise."

Kirjava was quiet company as they walked to the park, darting ahead and back, chasing at shadows and Dust. Will didn't mind; he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to anyone or not. None of them would be Lyra, and Lyra was the only person he was quite certain he wanted to speak with. He slid his thumb across the empty knuckles where his fingers had been.

"It was good to destroy the knife," Kirjava called back. Of course she had seen, and known, and understood. Will sighed, running a little to catch up.

"I know. I know. I just wish any of the rules had been different. I bet she's changed. I bet she's beautiful." He sighed, and shrugged. "Not that it matters, I guess, when I can't even see her or talk to her. Do you even think she'll come? She won't have forgotten?"

She laughed, trotting back to Will and allowing him to lift her, carry her. "You are a very foolish version of yourself if you think they would  _ever_  forget us, or their promise, or any of it."

The bench was just where it should be, the overcast sky peppered with little breaks in the clouds where the sun could pour through in bright streams. One caught the bench and the barest sliver of grass around it so that it seemed to be enchanted, an otherworldly bright compared to the grey of the rest of the park. Will grinned, his steps slowing as he approached. He set Kirjava down on the seat and touched the wood where he knew he had carved letters in another world. He would correct their omission in this today, later, with the pocket knife he kept on his keys.

Gingerly, he sat towards the opposite arm. "I don't want to think that we're overlapping. It's weird."

The alarm on his wristwatch sounded. He turned it off, looked up at the louring sky, and grinned again.

"Hello, Lyra. I'm here. Just like I promised. I think you might be, too. I hope you are."

They sat together until it rained.


End file.
